Marauders: Year the Fourth
by bemj11
Summary: No foul language, no slash, fourth book in the marauders chronicles. Hope you enjoy. Have done some revision.
1. Meeting of Friends

Marauders: Year the fourth

By Bianca Jenkins

All characters and places recognized from the Harry Potter series do not  
belong to me.  
They belong to J. K. Rowling.

Book four of the marauders chronicles.

Chapter one:

Meeting of friends

Hogawarts was a school. A school of magic, to be precise, to which young witches and wizards could go and learn magic. There are many students that attend Hogwarts, and one such was a boy who happened to be named Peter Pettigrew.

He was a Gryffindor, and in his fourth year, or going into it when school started, which was today.

He was standing in the middle of Platform 9¾, looking for his friends. He did not, however, need to search long, for one of his friends soon found him.

"PEEEEEEEEEEEEEETERRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!" Called the unmistakable voice of James Potter. Peter turned, and sound to his dismay that James Potter was running straight towards him. He moved out of James's path, and discovered even more to his dismay that James was aiming for him. Seconds later, James hit Peter and wrapped him in a big hug. "I'm so glad to see you again."

"Thanks," Peter gasped, "but I can't breathe." James let him go.

"Sorry. I'm just happy to see you."

"Nice to see you too."

"Speaking of seeing, have you seen either of the other two yet?" James asked.

"Not yet." Replied Peter, looking around. "Wait, there's Sirius." James followed his gaze. "SSSSSSSSSSIIIIIIIIIIRIIIIIIIII!" He yelled, and took off. Peter followed. As he caught up, James had wrapped Siri, who didn't look pleased, in a bone-crushing hug. "I'm so glad to see you."

"Glup." Siri managed to say.

"You're choking him, James." Peter said.

"Sorry. How are you?" Asked James, letting go.

"Fine, now that I can breathe." Grumbled Sirius. "How are you two?"

"Great." James replied.

"Fine." Answered Peter. "Have you seen Moony yet?"

Sirius shook his head. "No, how could I? He's the shortest kid in our year."

"That's true." Agreed Peter. "But maybe he'll grow someday."

"Doubt it." James Laughed.

"Speaking of Moony, how goes the project?" Sirius asked.

Sirius was referring to their ongoining attempt at becoming illegal animagi. After discvering Moony's lycanthropy in their first year, the three had done some research. They had discovered that Werewolves are only a threat to people. They also knew that Moony often hurt himself during the full moon. So they had decided to help him by becoming animgi. Then they could distract Moony from hurting himself (not to mention they could have a lot of fun with him too).

"Qute well. Should have it by the end of the year." Answered James confidently.

"Good." Said Sirius. "Same here. You, Peter?"

"Not very well, I'm afraid. I need some help with it." Answered Peter gloomily.

Don't worry, Pete." James said encouragingly. "We're here. We'll help you."

"Good." Peter said, cheering up.

"Hey, there's Moony." Sirius pointed out the small boy. He was difficult to spot in the crowd because he was so small.

REEEEEMMUUUSSS!" James yelled, using the boy's real name in public, and took off. As he reached Moony he proceeded to hug him, who whimpered slightly and winced. Then he removed himself from his friend's grip. He was never one for personal contact. In fact, he hated being touched (and for good reason).

"Sorry, Remus." Said Sirius, he and Peter having caught up with the two by this time. "He can't help being a moron."

"'Tis quite alright." Responded Moony with mock politeness. "I must admit, it is good to be back."

"Definitely." Agreed Sirius. Noticing Mrs. Lupin standing nearby, he added, "Not that mothers aren't swell, of course."

Mrs. Lupin smiled at that. "Of course." She laughed. "He is glad to be seeing you three again. That is all he would speak of this summer."

"Awww, he missed us, Sirius." Teased James.

"Awww, we missed you too, Remus." Added Sirius.

"Actually," Moony corrected, straight-faced, "it was Peter I was looking forward to seeing. I was hoping you two had gone invisible."

As the other three boys laughed, Mrs. Lupin turned to her son. "Have a good year, Remus. Perhaps I will see you at Christmas."

"Yes ma'am." Moony replied innocently.

"I think we've corrupted him." Sirius whispered to Peter as Mrs. Lupin left.

"What do you mean, we?" Asked Peter in mock outrage. "It was you and James, if anyone."

"Yeah, Sirius," James got in on the act, "steal all the credit for yourself."

"I wasn't stealing all the credit!" Protested Sirius. "I was simply borowing it."

"Without asking."

"Yeah, so? I would have given it back."

"Borrowing without asking is still stealing. " Quoted James.

Moony rolled his eyes, then turned to Peter. "Shall we find compartment?"

"Certainly. They'll probably be at it for a while."

"Don't miss the train!" Moony called over his shoulder as the two went to find a compartment.

"We won't!" Came a chorused reply.


	2. Chaos

Chapter Two:

"And as most of you already know, the forbidden forest is forbidden to all students." Dumbledore was giving his usual after dinner speech, but the marauders were scarcely paying attention.

"Now?" asked Peter nervously.

"Almost." James replied. "In five, four, three, two, one, go!" At that moment, Dumbledore sprouted feathers and a beak. Not only that, but he rapidly changed shape into a flamingo.

Dumbledore was not the only person changing. All of the Professors had become birds of various types. Windol had becom a raven, Flitwick a kiwi (the bird, not the fruit). And McGonagal a chicken.

Tons of fireworks went off, the Slytherins turned gold and red and began dancing ballet, the Hufflepuffs turned into rabbits, the Ravenclaws burst into a moving rendition of the song Henry the Eighth, various Gryffindors turned into monkeys, and a light snowfall began. Scrawled across the ceiling were the words, MARAUDERS STRIKE AGAIN! The floor had also been changed into a trampoline, and the chairs into bean bags. The tables were levitating ten feet off the ground, and food, students and animals were bouncing everywhere.

The marauders had seated themselves in bean bag chairs, and managed to keep from hysterics, when a particularly enraged chicken flew their way and started squawking angrily at them. Moony alone seemed unfazed.

"But Professor McGonagal, there is no way we could have done this. There was not enough time to do something of this magnitude, even if we wanted to put the necessary amount of effort into pulling this off." He asked seriously. "And even if it was us, which it wasn't, you don't actually have any proof. And I don't know why you always throw me in the same category as those three any way, we may be friends, but I certainly don't do these kind of things."

She squawked indignantly.

"Yes, Professor." He said, then, magnifying his voice addressed the school. "Professor McGonagal would like me to all students should report to their respective dorms and stay there, including misters Potter, Black, Lupin, and Pettigrew. As this will likely take time to reverse, classes are canceled until further notice. Prefects may lead the way to the common rooms. Also, whoever is responsible will be given a week of detention when caught. That is all."

It took several weeks for things to return to normal, considering that the infamous marauders would pull another prank as soon as things began to settle down. In fact, the sorting had been three weeks ago, and classes had still not yet started.

"Perhaps we should hold off for a while." Suggested Moony one evening.

"Why?" James wanted to know.

"Well, it is rather disruptive of our learning."

"So?"

"Some of us come to school to learn. Not to mention the fact that with rumours of the Dark Lord multiplying it would be wise to gather as much knowledge as possible in case of the worst happening."

"I guess you're right, even if you are a worrywort and a party pooper."

"At any rate, we're running short of ideas."

"I hate it when you're right." Scowled James.

"So we stop." Said Sirius. "At least until we have a new list of ideas."

"You think He-who-must-not-be-named is causing trouble again?" Peter worried.

"There have been a lot of attacks on muggles lately." Moony pointed out.

"And dad's been awfully busy and cheerful." Sirius added thoughtfully. "He's only cheerful when he's been torturing muggles.

"Oh that's nice." Said James sarcastically.

"No it isn't," said Sirius, "but it's the truth."

"I hope Voldemort isn't up to something." James said. His dad was an Auror, so if Voldemort was up to something, his dad could be in danger.

"Me too." Agreed Peter.


	3. Surprise!

"Good morning, Sirius!" Called James one Saturday morning.

"Good morning, James!" Called Sirius cheerfully back.

"Good morning, Peter!" The two called in unison.

"Morning." Peter answered, more or less awake.

"GOOD MORNING REMUS LUPIN!" Bellowed James to his friend.

Moony moaned and rolled over, pulling his pillow over his head.

"Right! Ears! I forgot!" James quieted somewhat, but not much. "It's time for breakfast!"

"Yum!" Answered Peter and Sirius. This was by now a morning ritual. It had started their first morning back this year. Except, usually Moony joined in.

"Ugh." Moony moaned.

"What's wrong?" James asked. "You okay?"

"Just not feeling well, you enjoy breakfast without me.

"Okay. Hope you feel better. Come on, let's go eat." The three remaining marauders went into the Great Hall. At first, nothing seemed out of place, but then James noticed two adults at the teacher's table that had not been there before. Before breakfast began, one of the adults, whom James had recognized by now as Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic, stood up and addressed the school.

"Attention, students of Hogwarts. It has come to the attention of the Ministry that things are not going as they should be here at Hogwarts. Not only are many students behind in their work, through no fault of their own, of course, but there is also an extreme lack of discipline inside the classroom and outside of it. Because of this, and a few other things with which you needn't be concerned, the Ministry has seen it fit to replace Dumbledore as Headmaster. Replacing him will be Melvin Marple. Please give him a welcoming hand." Marple stood up, but everyone was too shocked to reply. Dumbledore was nowhere to be seen.

Beside James, Sirius was also in shock. "Is this some kind of joke?" He managed at last.

"Somehow I don't think so." James muttered glumly.

"I think I've lost my appetite." Peter mumbled.

"Same here." James agreed.

"Me too." Sirius got up, and the others followed. They left the Great Hall.

"Where to now?" James wondered aloud.

"I don't care." Sirius answered.

"James?" Peter asked timidly.

"What?"

"We're gonna have to tell Moony."

"Yeah."

"Do you think they know about him?" Siri asked.

"I don't know." James replied. "Come on. No sense in putting it off."


	4. They Can't Do That!

Remus lay in bed with a headache. And the full moon isn't until tomorrow, he thought grumpily. He closed his eyes, the sun that came in through the windows was painfully bright. Someone had entered the room. Three someones, actually, and one was shaking him.

"MOONY!" It was Sirius. What could he want? "Wake up. We need to talk."

Remus groaned softly. "What's so important?" He asked as good-naturedly as possible.

The other three looked down at the ground, not wanting to answer. It obviously wasn't anything good. Finally, Sirius spoke.

"Well, um, at breakfast this morning, an announcement was made."

"What kind of announcement?" Remus wondered aloud.

James picked up the conversation. "About Dumbledore."

"What about him?" This was probably going to take a while.

"They unheadmastered him."

"They what?" Remus asked, confused. Even Sirius was giving him a strange look.

"I mean, he's not the Headmaster anymore. The Ministry decided he wasn't doing a good enough job, and so someone else has been made Headmaster. Some guy named Melvin Marple."

Remus got out of bed and started pacing, something he rarely ever did. Usually he only did it when he was immensely worried, which he was now.

"They can't do that." He muttered, barely loud enough for the others to hear. "They aren't going to find a better Headmaster. Or one that has the loyalty of the students and staff, for the most part. I wonder if they know- no, he wouldn't tell them. The teachers won't, either. Even Windol will resent them replacing Dumbledore. Marple, that's his name, isn't it? He won't be able to keep order. They can't just get rid of Dumbledore. It won't work."

"Don't worry, Moony." Said Sirius hopefully. "You're probably right. This is probably all just some kind of joke. And anyway, as soon as people hear about it, I'm sure we'll find that they can't just change Headmasters."

Remus stopped pacing. "You think so?" He was definitely grasping at straws.

"Yeah." Lied Sirius, it was highly unlikely.

"Hey!" said James suddenly. "Let's go fly!" It wasn't a very good attempt at changing the subject, but when people are desperate for a change in topic, almost anything will do.

"Okay." Said Peter, willing to do anything to anything to forget lthis morning's announcement.

"Sure." Said Sirius. "I am gonna try out for the Quidditch team this year, if they ever have tryouts."

"Fine." Said Remus, not in the mood to argue.

The four boys grabbed their brooms, stomped outside, and headed for the quidditch pitch.

"So." Peter broke the silence sometime later. "Are you still playing quidditch this year, James?"

"Huh?" James had been thinking about something else. "Oh, yeah, definitely. Actually, Mark graduated last year and told McGonagal he wanted me to take his place."

"What did she say?" Sirius wanted to know.

"She said it would depend on the rest of the team."

"Who are they?"

"Um, Luke."

"That's all?" Sirius gaped.

"Yeah."

"What year's he in?" Peter asked.

"Third." James replied.

"Cool." Said Peter.

"So," James paused for a moment, "Are you guys going to try out?"

"I will." Said Sirius. "I want to be a beater."

"What about you, Peter?" James asked curiously.

"I don't know." Peter answered hesitantly. "I'm not very good..." He trailed off, wondering where this was leading.

"You can fly, can't you?" James asked.

"Well, yeah. But not as good as you guys can."

"You can catch a quaffle, can't you?"

"Well, yeah, but I usually end up hitting it away by mistake."

"Then you can play." James finished, satisfied. "Moony?"

"You know how I feel about flying." Came the response.

"Will you guys at least come? That way if the only people that show up are terrible at this, at least I'll have you guys."

"Okay." Sirius agreed happily.

"Okay." Peter said hesitantly.

"Fine." Moony agreed. "When?"

"Saturday. 12:00. Noon. Thanks, guys."

"No problem." Sirius said sincerely.

"Yeah, no problem." Muttured Moony.

Several hours later, the boys landed and headed back to the school, their spirits somewhat higher than they had been.


	5. Yes, They Can

Chapter Five

"But Madame Pomfrey," Sirius whined. "You have to let him out. We have quidditch tryouts at noon."

"No." She snapped. "He had a rough night. He doesn't need to be out there. He could very easily fall off his broom."

"He won't." Insisted Sirius. "We'll tie him to it. Pleeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaase?"

"No."

"Did you ask him if he felt up to it?"

"No."

"Then how do you know he's not in shape for it?"

"No."

"Pleeease?"

"No."

"He'll come right back when he's done."

"No."

"He can sit up." Sirius pointed out.

"No."

"Look he's standing now. Steady as a rock."

"No."

"Why not, Madame Pomfrey?" Asked Moony innocently.

"You had a rough night."

"It wasn't that bad."

"You need to rest."

"I will after tryouts. I'll stay in bed till Monday."

"Fine." Sighed Madame Pomfrey. "Off you go. Don't fall asleep on the broom."

"Yes, ma'am." Moony replied.

"So how was the full moon?" Sirius asked on the way to the quidditch ptich.

"Okay." Moony said, looking at the ground.

"Uh-huh?" Sirius rolled his eyes. "Sure it was. Don't lie to me."

"It was worse than usual." Moony admitted. "The moon was up sooner, down later, and he was in a bad mood."

"Oh." Sirius didn't have to ask who he was. He was the wolf. Moony had once explained that being a werewolf was like having to separate yous. There was the you that was the human part of you, and there was the you that was the blood-thirsty beast once a month. Except, Moony had said, they're both always there, just stronger at different times, usually based on the moon. "Sorry, man."

"Don't be." Moony said, almost sharply. He never had been one to enjoy pity. In fact, he hated it. And got touchy about the full moon because he didn't want anyone, not even his friends, to feel sorry for him.

"You going to fall off the broom?" Sirius asked lightly.

"I hope not. You going to catch me?" Moony almost grinned.

"Maybe. I might just let you fall."

"Gee. Thanks."

"Your quite welcome."

"What a pal." Moony rolled his eyes.

"You know it."

James scanned the sky. Clear weather, not a cloud in sight. Minimal wind, the sun wasn't too bright, and the temperature was pleasant. Perfect conditions for flying.

James looked over at Luke, who was also examining the sky. Luke turned to him and grinned. "Excellent conditions, eh?" He said cheerfully.

"Yeah." James agreed.

Luke was starting his second year on the team, which was unuasual for a third year. Of course, James reflected, he had been in second year himself when he started playing quidditch. Luke was a chaser, and an excellent one, too. Not to mention his spirits never seemed to go down. If anything, they went up, especially when they were losing badly. He seemed to enjoy it when the games got violent, as well.

" 'ere they come." Luke said, looking across the field.

"Good grief!" James exclaimed, seeing the group that had gathered. "There must be a hundred of them there. We'll be here all day."

"Only 'bout 37." Luke corrected. James didn't argue, Luke was usually right. "Bet half can't fly, eh? Give 'em trials round the pitch and eliminate from there."

Luke also had a good idea of how to handle things. He definitely would have been the better captain. And yet when McGonagal had spoken to the two boys about it, he had insisted James take captaincy. "I don't wanna be in charge. I'd be awful for it. No one will listen to someone younger that 'em. You do it, James."

And so James had accepted. But that didn't mean he wouldn't rely heavily on Luke's opinion.

"Yeah, that'll work." James said to Luke. "Let's go."

The two headed over to the crowd. Magnifying his voice (he had had Moony teach him that trick), he cleared his throat.

Everything went silent.

James gave them a good looking over. Kids from all years had shown up. Most didn't look like they were ready to commit to the work it would take to play. Others didn't look like they would be very good at flying.

"All right. Here's how this works. My name is James Potter. I am the Captain of this team. This is Luke Jones. In my absence, he is in charge. No arguments. If you have any questions, feel free to ask one of the two of us. Anyone who wants to be on the team has to be willing to work for it. You have to be willing to make a commitment to the team. Now, everybody mount up. I want you to fly around the quidditch pitch. You will fly in groups of five."

He divided those present into groups of five and sent them off.

Half a lap later, it was obvious that most of the people trying out didn't know what they were doing.

"We're doomed. Now what?"

"Weed out those who can't fly very well."

"Right."

The lap was finished all too soon, and twenty-two people were eliminated and went to grumble in the bleachers. "Now," Said James. "We will be picking two beaters, two chasers, one keeper, and two back-up players. If you want to try out for chaser, go with Luke. He'll test you."

About five of the fifteen went with Luke. This left Sirius, Peter, Moony, J.J., andsix kids James barely knew.

"All right. Keepers, follow me. The rest of you hang tight and watch those trying out. You might learn something."

Two kids followed him: Alex Hunter and Jonah McKinley.

"All right. I'm taking ten shots. Whoever blocks the most out of five is keeper. Go it?" The three nodded. "All right. Hunter, you first."

Smith flew in front of the goalposts, and James began shooting. Smith missed the first, caught the second, bombed the next seven, and barely caught the last, leaving a total of two saves.

"McKinley." McKinley was small, scrawny, and nervous. He had brown hair and blue eyes, and clutched his broom worridly

"What year are you in?' James asked.

"Second." Came the reply.

"Ready?"

"Yeah."

Amazingly, McKinley caught four out of ten goals, which was better than the other kid, but not very good for games. Maybe he just needs practice, thought James. He certainly hoped so.

"Okay, McKinley, you're in. Maybe next year, Hunter. Keep working at it."

James looked over to see Luke working with the rest of those trying out. Good, that meant he didn't have to choose out of Sirius's group. He looked back at the kid that didn't make it. "You trying out for back-up?"

They brightened, and nodded. "All right."

They headed back and and joined the other group. Luke had already picked the beaters and was going through the rest for back-up players. James went to help him.

"Personally, James, those two are probably the best for back-up." He pointed, and James looked to see Peter and Moony. "They don't want to play a whole lot, they're the best flyers out of those not picked, and could probably play any position we needed them to."

"Okay then, that will work." He turned and announced the choices to those left. "Sorry about the rest of you. All I can say is maybe next time you'll have better luck. Team stay here, the rest of you are free to go."

With much grumbling, the eight students left began to disperse. All except for one boy, a tall, strong-looking sixth year who looked as if he had probably gone out for beater. He came to James.

"What's the big idea?" Snarled the kid.

"What do you mean?" Asked James, puzzled.

"The only reason four of your team got on is because their your friends." He snapped. Boy, was he angry. "The other three are second years. What's the big idea?"

"Players were chosen according to skill." James said.

"Yeah, right." The boy scoffed. He took a step towards James. He was in trouble.

"Is there a problem, Cap'n?" Luke stepped in between the two. He turned to face the boy. "Is something wrong?"

Luke asked him.

"You heard me." The boy replied, glaring at James.

"That I did." Luke stated. "However, neither favoritism nor cheatin' was involved. Players were chosen based on skill."

"Sure they were." The boy stepped up and collared Luke.

"Take your hands off me." Snapped Luke.

"Fine." Sneered the boy. Punching Luke right in the stomach, he dropped him and stormed away.

"You okay?" James asked, helping Luke up.

"Yeah." Gasped Luke. "Just need t' catch my breath. Nasty one, eh?" He nodded towards the boy.

"Yeah. Who was he?"

"Statts. Tried out for beater."

"Oh. Figured so."

"Ready t' meet the team?"

"Yeah." The two rejoined the other members of the team. They were gathered around, watching the two approach.

"What a sore loser." Said J.J. "Pathetic."

"Yeah, not to mention a terrible flyer." Sirius added.

"That'll probably leave a mark." Spoke up a small blonde boy. He turned to James. "The name's Eli. Chaser."

"We figured you had everything under control." Added Jonah. "Or we'd have come over. Glad to be onboard. Chaser also."

"Chaser?" James asked. This kid was keeper. He hoped the kid wasn't mental.

"Yeah. I'm Micah. Jonah's brother. Twin."

James looked over at Jonah, who simply nodded.

"And of course you know the rest of us." Sirius put in.

"I'd mention this to McGonagal if I were you." Added Moony.

"If he messes with anyone on the team again I'll punch his lights out." Snapped J.J.

"Count us in." Chorused the twins.

"And me." Chimed Sirius and Luke.

"You know how we feel." Moony said. Peter nodded.

"We're a team. That's family." Said Eli. "You don't mess with family."

"Good." Said James. "And I will mention this to Professor McGonagal. Practice starts tomorrow at four."

"P.M.?" Asked Eli.

"A.M."

"Oh." Was his reply.

Monday came, and with it the grim realization that Marple was, in fact, Headmaster. The staff and students alike were extremely subdued at breakfast, and apparently the teachers were now being inspected, as they were teaching completely by the book. No jokes were made. No tardiness or incomplete homework was excused that day. Even the Muggle Studies Professor had changed her style of teaching.

A week went by, and everyone was miserable. Foolishness of any sort, including pranks, were expressly forbidden. All of the students were gloomy as could be, and the teachers lacked their usual attitude towards class.

It was a Tuesday evening, and in the fourth year Gryffindor boys' dorm, the marauders were doing homework. Peter sighed, unable to concentrate on his Herbology, while Siri sat staring over his Care of Magical Creatures book at Moony, who was holding his DADA book open in one hand and drumming his fingers against the arm of the chair, obviously not working.

James had detention because one of his fireworks had accidentally gone off in the Great Hall. It hadn't hit anybody or anything, but Marple himself had given him detention. The others had decided to wait up for him, mainly to find out what his detention was like.

At eleven o'clock, Moony went to bed. The others didn't blame him, of course, since the full moon had only been a few days ago, and he was probably still tired. Even if he had stayed in bed all weekend.

At midnight, James stormed into the dorm. "So," said Siri, "How'd it go?"

"Terrible, but that's not the worst."

"What is?" asked Peter.

"They've replaced some of the Professors." James replied.

"Which ones?" wondered Moony, who had been awakened by James slamming the door behind him.

"McGonagall, Jenkins, Ravenloft, and Hooch." James said.

"Oh, goodnight." He went back to sleep, and James rolled his eyes.

"You're kidding!" Siri exclaimed.

"Nope." James shook his head.

"This is terrible. We have to do something."

"Go to class tomorrow." Suggested Peter. The other two just stared at him. "To see what they're like, I mean."

"Oh." Said James. "Well I guess that will work for a start. However, I am exhausted, so goodnight." The three other marauders were soon fast asleep.

"I wonder who the new Professor is." Pete wondered. The four marauders sat together in the back row, waiting for Transfiguration to begin.

"Silence, please." The new teacher had walked in. He was tall, with a head full of grey hair, and had blue eyes. "My name is Professor Seeley. Welcome to Transfiguration." He went on and on about the mechanics and history of Transfiguration, along with other things about the topic that would be considered trivia and unimportant even by James, who, under normal circumstances (meaning McGonagall teaching) loved this class. Today, it was more boring than History of Magic had ever been. By the time the bell had rung, even Moony was bored. He was actually sitting there drawing a picture of the classroom on his notes. The entire class was relieved to hear the bell and rushed out of class as it rang.

As the marauders entered the Muggle Studies classroom, they were in for a shock. It looked just like any other classroom, rather than the one that Miss Bianca had set up to look like a different muggle place every week. They sat down beside each other in the back row of desks, and waited for class to begin.

The Professor soon entered the room. "Hello, class, my name is Professor Addison, and I am, obviously, your new teacher in this class. This class will no longer be fun and games. You will work in this class. I was unable to find a Lesson Plan, so we will start at the beginning."

Blah, blah, blah thought Sirius as the class wore on. This is ridiculous. She's teaching first year material. Blah, blah, blah. Blither, blither, blither. I wonder if the others are as bored as I am. Yup, he thought. James is staring out the window, Pete's asleep, and Moony's drawing. I wonder if James is staring at anything in particular, or just staring. I wish I were next to the window.

He was soon startled by the bell ringing, and the students making a break for freedom. As they walked down the hall, Sirius complained to the other marauders. "That was boring."

"Definitely." Agreed James.

"Yeah." Pete added.

Moony just nodded.

"What do we have next?" Sirius asked.

"DADA." James replied.

Pete groaned.

"Might as well get it over with." Sirius muttered.

Defense Against the Dark Arts was horrible. Even Peter quickly realized that Professor Sears had no idea what she was talking about. She also obviously had no idea about Moony's lycanthropy, from the way she was teaching about werewolves.

Moony, who was beside Peter, was trying very hard to keep control of himself, the things Sears said were very far-fetched. Even Peter recognized that. James and Sirius were trying to contain their laughter, they were more amused by this than Moony (not that was amused entirely, some things said were rather insulting).

The students, trained in not causing trouble in DADA by Ravenloft, were being as nice and polite as they could possibly be, but it was obvious that Sears did not impress them with her teaching skills.

Both student and teacher alike were glad when class was finished.


	6. A Daring PlanGone Wrong

Class with Professor Clark (Muggle Studies) turned out to be a nightmare. He started by taking roll. Then He gave a long speech.

"My name is Professor Clark. I will be teaching this class. I expect all homework to be completed on time. No excuses. I expect everyone to be on time for class. No excuses. I expect everyone to make it to every class unless they have a medical excuse written and signed by Madame Pomfrey. No excuses. When I am speaking you will not. No excuses. When you wish to speak you will raise your hand and wait until I call on you to speak. No excuses. You will lose five points and score a zero for every late assignment. You will lose ten points for tardiness to class. If you miss class without a not from Madame Pomfrey you will lose twenty points. Any tests, quizzes, or homework given during an unexcused absence will not be able to be made up. It will be recorded as a zero. If you speak without permission you will lose five points.

"Since I was unable to find a lesson plan of any type, we will start at the beginning. Third year material. There will be no foolishness in this class, no playing or joking around. If you cannot do what is required of you you had best leave now. This is a class. It will not be all fun and games.

"Any questions?"

Everyone was too shocked to say anything, so Professor Clark began teaching the first third-year lesson. It was one of the driest, dullest classes in the history of Muggle Studies.

After what seemed an eternity, the bell rang.

"I did not give permission to be dismissed. Everyone needs to procure a third year Muggle Studies textbook, read to page five, and answer the questions at the bottom of the page. Due next time we have class.

"Also, you will wait until I dismiss you to leave. Then you will quietly push in your chair, gather your things, and leave. If you do not you will lose five points.

"Dismissed."

"Thank goodness for quidditch." Exclaimed Sirius. "We do have practice this afternoon, don't we?"

"Yeah, definitely." James replied.

"We'd better hurry." Moony put in. "You don't want to be late."

They arrived to find only two players there already. J.J. and Luke were standing there glaring. Not at each other, but at the entrance to the pitch.

"What's wrong? Where are the others?" James asked.

"Off the team." Snapped Luke uncharacteristically.

Had Luke thrown them off? Had they quit? Had an arguement arisen? Had he done something wrong? James had no idea what could have happened. "Why?"

"Seeley told them they weren't allowed to play because they were too young."

"No!"

"Yep!' Snarled J.J., and spat angrily.

"But that's not fair!" Sirius yelled, annoyed.

James closed his eyes, and counted to ten. Then he counted again. Taking a deep breath, he opened his eyes. The others were glaring at each other by this time.

"Don't worry about it team." He said, hoping they couldn't tell how angry he still was.

"What do you mean, Don't worry about it? We just lost three players!" J.J. yelled.

"I mean, I'll take care of it. Luke, if you could take over practice for me, I'll get on it right away." James stormed off the field.

"James." It was Moony.

"What?" He was yelling by now, and he knew it. He also knew it would take a while for him to settle down. "Doesn't that bother you? Doesn't it upset you that three good kids can't play because they're too young?"

"Of course it bothers me." Moony replied. "But yelling isn't going to get them back. I wasn't going to tell you to drop it, just to be careful what you say and how you say it. Bite your tounge if you have to."

"Oh." James said, feeling foolish for his ouburst. "Thanks."

"Good luck." Said Moony.

Taking a deep breath, James knocked on the door to Professor Seeley's office. The door opened, revealing an ancient man who looked older than Dumbledore. Or at least, more decrepit. He looked as if a light wind owuld knock him over. "Professor Seeley?" James asked.

"Yes?" The old man croaked.

"Well, sir, you don't know me, but my name is James Potter. I'm the quidditch captain for Gryffindor. The reason I'm here is, well, several of my teamates said they weren't allowed to play. They said you told them they were too young."

"And they are. They are, after all, only second years." He shook his head. "To attempt to play at that age would be very dangerous indeed."

"But sir-"James started to protest.

"No buts." Professor Seeley interrupted. "My mind is made up."

"Yes sir." James muttured. "Well, have a nice day." James left, wondering what to do now.

"This is so stupid!" James grumbled.

"Definitely." Sirius agreed.

"Yup." Added Peter.

"We have to do something." Said James.

"But what?" asked Sirius.

"I know! We can cause so much trouble that they have to bring Dumbledore back."

"Right." Said Sirius, unconvinced. "You know Moony won't agree to it."

"That's why we start tonight. While he isn't here." Tonight was the full moon.

"So what do we do?" asked Pete unexpectedly. He didn't usually involve himself in arguments.

"Redecorate." Replied James. "Everything we can. The classrooms, the Great Hall, the hallways, anything."

"Fine." Said Sirius. "But we should go ahead and get started. We only have all night."

"Let's go." Said James, and off they went.

In a matter of hours they had most of the classrooms redecorated in ways that would confuse, distract, and amuse the students. One room was filled with flamingoes, one with bunnies, one with penguins, and another with kittens. Others had chickens, frogs, llamas, giant living pickles, nifflers, and even hippos. Practically all these had been transfigured from chairs, desks, books, chalkboards, etc. Walls were painted with clashing colors and designs, ceilings were bewitched to rain and snow, windows enchanted to sing. Pixies were in all classrooms.

By three in the morning, all that was left was the Great Hall. The three sneaked in, and began working. By sunrise they were finished. As they left, James, yawning, grinned at the other two.

"I can't believe we pulled that off." Smirked Sirius.

"Nor can I." Said a voice from behind. The boys spun around. It was Sears. "You three have detention for a week, plus fifty points from Gryffindor for being out of bounds and causing trouble."

"But, Professor-"James stuttered.

"Fifty points. Each."

"Each?" Sirius repeated.

"Do you want it to be more, Mr. Black?"

"No."

"Then the three of you should get back to your dorm."

"Yes, ma'am." The three went back to the dorm. It was empty, except for Frank, who was fast asleep. The Gryffindors would be furious when they found out. One hundred-fifty points lost in one night! They were doomed.


	7. Reinforcements

Chapter Seven:

Reinforcements

The next morning, none of the Gryffindors were happy. Many, upon entering the Great Hall and seeing the difference in points, vowed to kill whoever was responsible. A tad bit nervous, Sirius, Pete, and James entered the Great Hall and sat down to breakfast. They were soon joined by Frank, who was raving about the loss of points.

A few minutes later, Moony entered the Great Hall and sat down. Sirius was certain that he had noticed the loss of points, and hoped that he wouldn't say anything at the table. Moony shot the three other Marauders a look, then started eating.

"What?" Frank asked. "Do you know who lost them?" he asked. Moony kept eating. "Remus?"

"Later." He said. Frank went to his breakfast, knowing he wouldn't get anything else out of him yet.

It being a Saturday, the five Gryffindors headed outside after breakfast. They were joined by Lilly and her friends, who also wanted to know what had happened.

The group sat down by the lake, and James, with help from Sirius, explained about the escapades of the previous night and being caught. When they finished, they sat and waited for the others to yell at them.

It didn't happen. After a moment, Frank stood up. "It sounds like," he said slowly and thougtfully, "you need help. If you had had more people, you might not have gotten caught."

"I think Frank's right." Said Kiki. "You need help."

"How could having more people help?" James asked.

"You could cover more ground more quickly." Said Tandy. "And trouble wouldn't be limited to one house." She smiled wickedly, and it was scary.

"Are you sure? You guys actually want to cause trouble?" Sirius asked incredulously.

Lilly nodded. "We want Dumbledore back as much as you guys do. Do you think we enjoy having the new teachers any more than you do?"

James thought for a second. "All right, then. You guys are in." He turned to Moony. "You in?"

Moony nodded slowly. Sirius thought he probably had his own reasons for being hesitant. "Well, then," said Sirius, "I'd say we're ready to roll."

"We need a plan." Said Tandy.

"Right." Said James. "So here's what we do." The group spent the rest of the day working on their plan. Tonight, they would act. Tomorrow, things would be so hectic that nobody would be able to tell which way was up, and which way was down.

After a while, James looked at his watch. "We gotta go. Quidditch Practice." He said.

"I gotta go, too. There's a quiz tomorrow." Said Lilly.

"See you guys tonight." Said Sirius as the group went their different ways.

"Hey, Captain!" It was J.J. "I have a question!"

"Yes?" James replied warily. J.J. probably knew just as much as he did about Quidditch, according to Frank. If she had a question, he might not be able to answer it.

"Yeah, Frank says he joined the grom."

"The what?" What was she talking about?

"Grom. G.R.O.M. Get Rid Of Marple. He didn't call it that, though. He didn't call it anything. He said if I wanted to help I'd have to talk to you."

"He told you about it?" James asked, unaware of the rest of the team gathering around.

"No. I had to beat information out of him. I wanted to know how we lost 150 points in one night. I heard him and Lupin here talking at breakfast, and figured that was why you had all gone outside."

"Oh."

"So, can I help?"

James couldn't think of any reason not to let her, so he said, "Sure."

"Great." J.J. grinned. Someone behind James cleared his throat. James turned around.

The rest of the team was standing there. Luke stepped forward. "We want in, too." James looked from one face to the other. Sirius looked amused, Peter interested, Moony tired. The others all looked determined.

"Well, I don't see why not." James finally said.

"Awesome!"

Then James realized something. The whole team was present. Even the second years.

"Uh, when did you guys get back?" James managed to ask after standing with his mouth open for a couple seconds.

His reply was strange looks from the rest of the team.

"Didn't you talk to Marple?" Asked Jonah.

"That's what Remus said." His twin added.

James looked at Moony.

"Remember, James?" Moony said quickly. "You talked to him this morning."

"Maybe he didn't want them to know it was him." Sirius said to Moony suggestively.

"Oh, yeah. Thanks, Remus." James said, catching on. "Well, we've wasted enough time, let's get to work!" To Moony he said, "May I speak with you a moment?"

Moony nodded. As soon as the others were out of hearing range, he said, "I don't know how you convinced Marple, but thanks."

"No problem."


	8. Operation: Disruption

Chapter Eight:

Operation: Disruption

It was approximately 12:36 a.m. when Lilly, Kiki, and Tandy, and J.J. quietly sneaked into the Great Hall. It was their job to practically turn the Hall upside down.

Which is precisely what Kiki did first. The three girls quickly found themselves walking upside down, which happens to be a really weird sensation.

Tandy began transfiguring the tables, chairs, etc. while Lilly charmed the plates, cups, and utensils. Kiki worked on decorating everything in sight except the ceiling.

Their part of the mission complete, the three girls left, J.J. charming everything to look normal until five minutes after everyone was seated.

The three sneaked back to their dorm and fell asleep.

James, Peter, and Sirius stopped in front of the History classroom. It was the last of the classrooms they had to do. The additions of the quidditch team, Ravenclaws, and Frank had sped things up considerably. All of the rooms, excepting a few, had been completely messed up and disorganized. They were horrible.

James set about transfiguring the desks, chairs, books, chalkboards, quills, and anything else, while Peter colored the walls, floor, ceiling, and everything else. Sirius, meanwhile, was painting flamingos on the wall and transfiguring things into flamingos. By the time they were finished, the teachers wouldn't be able to recognize their own rooms.

Finished, the three went back to the dorm and waited for Moony and Frank.

Quietly and nervously, Frank sneaked through the halls, followed by Remus. They had already redecorated the classrooms that they had been asked to take care of, and Remus had used a neat little spell that made the classrooms change places with each other every half-hour.

Now they were sneaking down towards the kitchens. Uncertain of where to go, Frank looked back at Remus, who took the lead. They walked down several hallways, and came across a picture of a bowl of fruit. Remus went up to the picture and tickled the pear. Much to Frank's surprise, the picture swung open.

The boys climbed inside, and soon found themselves surrounded by house-elves.

"May we help you, sir?" one asked Frank.

"Yes, we were wondering if you would put this in the food for tomorrow and this in the drinks." He handed the two bottles to the elf, who seemed delighted to be of service.

Their mission complete, the two boys left the kitchen. Once outside, they headed back to the dorm. They had not gotten very far when they ran right into four Slytherins.

" Well, what have we here?" One, Malfoy, sneered. "Out after hours?"

"What about yourselves?" Frank replied.

"We are patrolling the area. Headmaster Marple needed reliable students to help keep order around here." Malfoy replied.

"Not a very good choice, if you ask me." Remus spoke up.

"No one asked you, half-breed." Snape snapped. To Frank's right, Remus paled.

Malfoy spoke up. "It looks like you students need to be taught a lesson about wondering around after hours." Crabbe and Goyle approached menacingly. Malfoy turned to Frank. "Unless you want to tell me who else is out of bounds."

"No way." Frank snapped.

Crabbe and Goyle lunged at Remus and Frank, but Remus quickly knocked them both away. He had drawn his wand and aimed it at Malfoy a second later.

"If I were you-" he broke off with a startled yelp as Snape through some kind of powder at him. He jerked, then stumbled, seemingly unable to see.

Malfoy regained himself and hexed both Gryffindors, taking their wands in the process. As the Slytherins left, satisfied, Snape bent over Remus, who was laying a few feet away from Frank.

"You'd better watch it, half-breed. They shouldn't have let your kind of trash in here in the first place. This was just a warning." He spat, then followed the others.

Certain the Slytherins were gone, Frank slowly got up. He was dizzy and sore, and his leg hurt, but other than that he was fine.

He looked over at Remus, who was shaking slightly. After a moment, Remus pulled himself together and stood up, using the wall for support.

"You okay?" he asked Frank, his voice soft and uncertain.

"I'll be fine. You?" he asked Remus, not really expecting an answer, Remus wasn't one to let others see how he felt.

"I can't see." He said in that same tone of voice. Frank limped over to him and lightly touched his arm. He flinched slightly. Frank looked him over. He looked pretty bad. Frank took him by the arm, gently.

"Come on. Madame Pomfrey will have a fit if we go to her this late. We'll go find James and the others."

He led Remus up to the dorm, slowly for both their sakes. James and the others stared as the two entered the room.

"What happened?" Sirius asked, concerned.

"We ran into Malfoy and his gang." Frank quickly explained what had happened. "And now, if you don't mind, I'm going to take a shower. I'm a mess." He left the dorm, but something made him hover behind the door.

"Yep, it's silver. Hold still." That had been Sirius, but what was silver? He peeked around the door and saw Sirius brushing something off of Remus' face. Then he remembered the dust Snape had thrown. Why silver? And why had he called Remus a half-breed? Something weird was going on. His dorm mates were definitely in on it, too. Whatever it was, he was going to find out.

But for now, he was going to take his shower and go to sleep. He was exhausted. Ten minutes later, he slipped into bed and fell into a deep sleep.


	9. Thinking

Chapter Nine

Hi. It's me, Frank, again. (Yawn) Excuse me, we were up all night throwing the school into utter chaos, so I'm bushed. Trouble-making is hard work. Of course, so is getting beat up by Malfoy and his gang.

Which is why I'm not as happy as the others in G.R.O.M. (Get Rid Of Marple). But I'll get to that in a minute, I promise.

Anyway, I had just walked into the Great Hall when everything went crazy. The students, and many of the staff, were pleased by our 'work,' but Marple was not.

"Attention, students," said he, "because of the intensity of these disruptions, classes have been canceled until further notice. Rest assured that when the perpetrators of this act are caught-and they most certainly will be-they will be punished accordingly. Whether the punishment will be detention or losing points is yet to be decided. You may return to your dorms. Also, curfew is now 8:00."

Of course, there was complaining over curfew, but not much, because I think a lot of people realized more or less what was being attempted. Anyway, we all returned to our dorms, and soon realized that we would not escape class work as easily as we thought.

"Just because we don't have class is no reason to remain ignorant." Remus insisted, pulling out a book. "If you want my cooperation in your plan, James, you're going to have to go along with this. Now get out your DADA books."

James and the other two reluctantly pulled out their books. "Will you be joining us, Frank?" Asked Sirius wickedly.

Nothing else to do. Besides, it would give me an opportunity to think. I pulled out my book, and was immediately swept into the world of Defense Against the Dark Arts.

It was very interesting. Remus certainly knew what he was talking about. But for some reason, the people in my family have always been able to do several things at once. So, while we were having our "Lesson," my mind wandered on to other things.

Like last night. Remus and I ran into Malfoy and his gang, and Snape. As most meetings with them do, this one ended violently. But, some things happened then that were rather unsual.

1. Snape called Remus a half-breed. What was that supposed to mean?

2. Remus managed to knock Crabbe and Goyle away from us. How in the world did a skinny guy like him manage that?

3. Snape threw some kind of powder at Remus, and apparently it caused him to not be able to see.

4. Snape told Remus, and I quote, "You'd better watch it, half-breed. They shouldn't have let your kind of trash in here in the first place. This was just a warning."

5. The powder was silver, and James, Peter, and Sirius knew it.

Now, what all this means, I have no idea, but I plan to find out.

I take a minute to study his appearance. Not average.

1. He is very short, the shortest in our year, and shorter than quite a few third years.

2. He is very skinny. Very, very skinny. As in skeletal, even though he eats a lot.

3. He is very pale. Like a vampire or something.

4. He has dark circles under his eyes, as if he never sleeps, which he usually doesn't.

5. He has streaks of grey hair.

6. He doesn't smile.

7. He has little white spots on his face from that powder last night.

Of course, there are other weird things about him, too.

1. He has really good hearing.

2. He can see really well in the dark.

3. He is very strong for his size.

4. He is quieter than any other person I know. (Not speech, in movement)

5. He never yells.

6. He very rarely gets angry.

Anyway, enough lists. Maybe later I'll check the library for something, although I'm not sure what to look for. Maybe under Dark Creatures. Yeah, right.

After we had studied DADA, Muggle Studies, Charms, and History of Magic (Remus somehow managed to make that interesting) we went to lunch.

So we're all five talking and laughing, and all of the sudden, Remus picks up his fork, then drops it with a soft hiss. As if it hurt or something. Then he looked around to see if anyone had noticed. Talk about weird. What would be wrong with a fork?

I discreetly look down at my fork. The only thing I can figure is that it's silver

Silver?

A dark thought dances around in my mind, but escapes before I can grasp it.

Something might be wrong. Very wrong.


	10. A Secret Uncovered

Chapter Ten

So I go to the library in the afternoon, right? And I'm not sure where to start, so I look up silver, right?

Well, it turns out that silver has a negative effect on certain dark creatures. Just for the heck of it, I start looking through books on dark creatures. Just skimming through because I'm not sure where else to look.

So I pick up a book called _Identification of Creatures of Darkness_, right? And I'm looking for the word silver.

Well, I find it. Under a section called "Identifying werewolves without a doubt," I find the word silver.

"_Werewolves have several known allergies, including wolfsbane, which is also known as ackonite or monkshood, and silver. These, while deadly for a full-grown werewolf, may, in proper amounts, be used against them without killing them, and does not have such a lethal effect on werewolves not fully mature._

"_Wolfsbane acts as a poison, and can be administered through ingestion, through the bloodstream, or even as an inhalant. It causes a difficulty in breathing, dizziness, naseousness, fever, and convulsions, eventually leading to death. _

"_Silver, when applied to the skin of a werewolf, reacts by causing a burn on the area it touches. The silver does not have to be pure to affect the werewolf, it may be combined with something else and still cause irritation, the effect of it being less as the amount of silver in the combination is less. Pure silver will burn flesh on contact. Silver is often used in knives or daggers, which are used in the killing of a werewolf."_

Wow. So, like, silver burns them, right? But Remus couldn't possibly be a werewolf, could he? I mean, werewolves are evil, aren't they? No way Remus is evil, right?

Maybe I could talk to J.J. But if he is, would that put her in danger?

I shake my head. Why would Dumbledore let a werewolf in the school? They're dangerous.

But Remus couldn't be werewolf.

All the same, maybe I should keep an eye out.

So we decided to sneak out at midnight to wreak havoc. At least, to cause havoc in the Gryffindor dorm. We trashed the place. It was so awesome. We let the Ravenclaws in to help, with the understanding that their dorm will be wrecked next week.

We plan to do all the dorms, but are leaving Hufflepuff and Slytherin for last because it is going to be hard to get their passwords. Sirius says to leave that to him, but James, Peter, and Remus just roll their eyes.

Speaking of which, he scared me half to death a minute ago. He's so quiet, you never hear him coming. So I turn, and there he is, right behind me.

I totally freaked out. "Augh!" I yelled.

He jumps back, confused, and everyone stops to stare at me.

"Sorry." I mutter. "You just startled me, that's all."

"Oh." He says lightly. "Sorry."

"You forget we can't hear you coming." Peter reminds him.

"Yeah." Remus didn't laugh. He doesn't laugh. He never laughs.

He gives me the shortest of questioning glances then turns back to what he was doing. I don't think anyone else notices the look.

Two days go by before we decide to go ahead and "decorate" the Ravenclaw dorm.

I'm still edgy over the werewolf thing and jump when I bump into him. Of course I let out a yelp.

He just turns and asks, "You okay?"

"Sorry. I'm just kind of clumsy, I guess." I reply.

I don't think he believes it any more than I do.

Some how Sirius found out the password to the Slytherin dorm. We trashed it beyond recognition last night. There are some furious Slytherins at breakfast.

Classes still haven't started back up, so I take my time at breakfast. Most of the Gryffindors are dressed in Muggle clothes.

I get up and go to the library, looking to do some more research on werewolves.

"_Werewolves are people that transform into wolves on the night of the full moon. In this form they are extremely dangerous to humans, but not to animals. While many werewolves claim that while in wolf from they_ _unable to control themselves, this is widely thought to be merely an excuse for their actions. Werewolves are generally rather violent in their actions."_

A shadow falls across the page. I spin around, and nearly jump out of my skin. It's Remus.

"Um, hi." I gulp. "What are you doing here?"

"James said I should follow you." He replied. "He said it's not a good idea for anyone to go around alone, as mad as the Slytherins are."

"Oh."

"So what are you reading?" He asks curiously.

"Um, nothing, just skimming through."

"Oh." He's not convinced.

"Hey." A cold voice interrupts us, and everything goes black

I wake up with a headache. I'm lying on a cold floor next to wall. I open my eyes. Remus is only a few feet away, already awake.

He jerks and groans. It takes me a minute to realize he's just been kicked in the side.

Crabbe is leaning over him, and picks him up by the collar.

Malfoy and Goyle are there as well, of course. Snape is too.

Snape walks over to Remus. "I know you were in on it." He snarls. "I want to know who else was."

"Do you really think I'm going to tell you?" Comes the calm reply. I don't know how he manages to look so calm. I'm terrified.

I mean, here we are with Malfoy and his bunch, in what appears to be an old unused dungeon or something. And they are all angry. Very angry.

"If you know what's best for you." Snape answers him.

"Do you think anything you can do will matter?" Remus asks him.

Snape glances over in my direction, then back to Remus. "Does he know?" Snape asks maliciously.

Remus pales. "You wouldn't, Snape."

"Wouldn't I?"

"Dumbledore ordered you not to."

"Ah, but Dumbledore's not here, is he?"

Remus swallows nervously.

Snape pulls something from his robes pocket. I can't see it clearly.

"Do you know what this is, Lupin?"

Remus doesn't answer, but I get the feeling he knows what it is.

Snape advances towards him, a cruel smile on his lips.

Whatever it is he's holding, he touches to Remus' skin. Remus jerks and cries out.

Crabbe just laughs and holds him tightly in place.

I have to at least try and do something. I can't just sit here and watch.

I sit up, which distracts then for a minute.

"You're awake." Snape says with a sneer.

"Brilliant observation." I reply. Yes, it is one of the oldest insults in the book, but at least it always works.

"You think you're smart." He snaps. "Have you figured it out yet?"

I shouldn't ask. I should just ignore him. "What?" I ask.

Behind him, Remus struggles to get loose. Snape turns to look at him.

"So you haven't told him your dark secret." Snape laughs. It's not a pleasant sound. He turns back to talk to me. "Pathetic." He mutters. "I suppose you've been wondering about the other night. Why I called him half-breed, about the dust, him not belonging here."

"Get on with it already." I snap. The sooner he shuts up, the better.

"You'll see soon enough."

Somehow this strikes me as ominous.

Apparently Remus knows what he's talking about, because he gets this panicked expression.

"You wouldn't, Snape." He says worridly.

"Wouldn't I?"

"You'd be expelled."

"No," Snape replies with a sneer, "in order for that to happen, the headmaster would have to find out. And if he found out, _you_ would be the one expelled."

"Snape, we're talking about people getting hurt. Would you take a grudge that far?" He asks desperately.

"You didn't care about that last year." Snape hisses, his voice cold and full of hatred. "Or did you think that nothing would happen? I doubt it."

"He wasn't involved. You know that. What do you have against him?"

"He's a Gryffindor, and a muggle-lover. That's enough cause." Malfoy interrupts. "Let's get out of here."

Crabbe slams Remus into a wall, and the four Slytherins leave.

Remus slowly sits up, slightly dazed. He lunges toward the door, and tries too open it. It won't budge.

He paces the room in almost a panic, looking for another way out. After about twenty minutes, he leans against the wall and slowly sinks to the floor.

We sit quietly for a moment.

"What does he mean," I ask, breaking the silence, "I'll see soon enough?" I don't really want to hear an answer. I really don't. I don't want to know.

Remus doesn't answer immediately. Instead he rolls up his sleeve to reveal a burn on his arm.

"Is that from the…" I trail off, not sure of what it was that Snape had had. It was a pretty nasty burn though.

"Sliver, yes." He answered softly.

"Silver?"

"Yes." He pauses, as if afraid of what he's going to say next. "I-I-" He sighs. "We need to get out of here. Quickly."

We look for a way out, but we're trapped in the room. No way out.

"Why do we need to get out of here?" I ask.

"It will be night soon."

"And?"

"The moon will be rising." Is he saying what I think he's saying? He can't be a- "I…I'm a…a…" He takes a deep breath. "I'm a werewolf."

I look away as he says this.

So it's true. He is a werewolf. Dumbledore did let a werewolf in the school. What's worse, this werewolf had been sharing a dorm with me for four years now.

Then I realize that I'm trapped in a room with a werewolf, the full moon is tonight, and the sun will be setting in less than an hour.

A shudder runs down my spine, and I turn to look at him.

He's where he was, sitting in the same position, hasn't moved a muscle. He's watching me, studying my every move.

Our eyes meet, and I realize something.

He's terrified. The fear in his eyes is there as plain as their color.

He's waiting for me to say something. To do something.

He's terrified.

Of what? Of what I might say? Of what I might do? He could easily kill me right now.

But he doesn't. He never was violent. Ever.

Maybe werewolves aren't what we think they are.

Maybe they aren't evil creatures.

Maybe they're people, just like the rest of us.

Had Remus ever acted like one would expect a werewolf to act?

He was actually the opposite.

"I guess we should probably find a way out of here, then." I say. The tension is so thick you could cut it with a knife.

"Yeah." He replies uncertainly.

We set about looking for a way to escape. Once again, we find none.

"Can you do wards?" He asks out of the blue.

"What?"

"Wards. Can you set up wards?"

"Like what?"

"Between us. The moon will be up soon."

"I don't know. I can try." I say doubtfully. I try the spell, and surprisingly, it works.

"Don't let it down." He says quietly. "No matter what." He seems tense.

"Remus?"

"What?" He almost snaps at me.

"You wouldn't hurt me, would you?" He isn't a monster, I tell myself.

He looks me dead in the eye. "Once the moon is up, if I am able to get to you, I will."

"You mean-" I stop, unable to finish the question.

"If I can kill you, I will."


	11. Full Moon

Chapter Eleven

"If I can kill you, I will."

The words echo through my mind as we sit in silence, I on one side of the ward, he on the other.

He stands, and tests the ward. He pushes against it. Satisfied, he sits down again, and we wait.

He suddenly jerks as if in pain, closing his eyes.

"Remus?" I ask, but he is oblivious to the world.

He cries out, and falls to the floor. He lays there, shaking and jerking.

Then he screams. It is the most terrible sound. A sound I will never forget as long as I live.

As he screams, he is changing, becoming wolf-like. His screams slowly become less and less human.

The he stops. He is no longer Remus Lupin. He is a wolf.

He looks at me, and his eyes are gold. His fur is a silver-grey. The wolf is small, but powerful, and full of confidence.

He lunges at me, and hits the ward. It holds.

He howls angrily, and tries again.

He keeps at it for about five minutes, then howls.

Then he turns on himself.

The night seems to last forever, the seconds slowly ticking by, each minute seems like an eternity.

And every once in a while, he attacks the ward again.

The night goes on, every second I spend in terror, wondering if the wards will hold. Every minute spend in shock, the truth of what werewolves go through. You don't read about this, no one ever mentions the pain they go through each month.

And every so often I remember the way I reacted to the knowledge that a dorm mate was a werewolf, and I remember what I thought about werewolves, I remember the fear in his eyes when he told me.

And at last, the morning comes.

The sun rises, and he begins the transformation back to human.

It is no less painful than the change from human to wolf.

It is a sight horrible to see, but it is impossible to look away.

Finally he is human once more.

He tries to stand, but falls to the floor, and stays there, unmoving, except for the fact that he is shaking.

His eyes are shut tight, andhe is a bloody mess. He needs attention, and soon.

The door is still locked.


	12. The Map?

Chapter Twelve:

"Has anyone seen Moony?" James asked.

"Nope." Replied Sirius. "Did you check the Hospital Wing? Last night was the full moon."

"Yeah." James replied. "He wasn't there."

"Weird." Sirius said.

"Yup." Agreed Peter. "I haven't seen him since yesterday morning, when you sent him to keep an eye on Frank."

"You don't think he ran into anyone, do you?" James asked worriedly.

"It's possible." Sirius answered. "But what could they do to him?"

The three were silent for a moment, then, "Maybe Frank's seen him." Peter suggested.

"Yeah, but when was the last time anyone saw Frank?" Sirius asked.

"Yesterday morning." James responded slowly. "Hey, did you notice how weird Frank's been acting lately around Moony?"

"You mean like he was worried that Moony might do something to him?" Sirius suggested.

"Exactly." James answered.

"Maybe they're just working things out?" Peter suggested uncertainly.

"We should probably look for them." Sirius said.

"Definitely." James agreed.

"Have you seen Frank?" James asked Frank's twin, J.J.

"No. Have you?" She answered.

"No. When did you see him last?"

"Breakfast yesterday. What about you?"

"Same thing. Do you have any idea where he might be?"

"Well," She answered, considering, "Snape asked me where he was this morning. I thought he was being himself, so I told him to shove off."

"Snape asked about Frank?"

"Yeah. With a sneer. Weird, huh?"

"I think Snape's up to something."

"If he is…"

"Snape!"

The greasy haired boy spun around, and his lips curled into a sneer as soon as he saw James.

"Looking for your werewolf?" Snape asked mockingly.

"And Frank. Where are they?"

"They're safe. Unless the half-breed can't control himself."

Snape turned to leave, but James collared him and shoved him against the wall. "Where are they, Snape?"

"Wouldn't you like to know." Hissed Snape.

James let go of Snape, and ran to find Peter and Sirius.

"You think Snape what?" Sirius was upset.

"Trapped them somewhere." James explained again.

"Last night?"

"Yes."

"Moony would have killed him!"

"Or hurt him seriously. So we need to find them quickly."

Peter cut in unexpectedly. "I am so stupid!" He shouted.

"What?" James and Sirius asked.

"Why didn't I think of it sooner?"

"What?"

"The map!"

The two stared at Peter in shock, wondering why they hadn't thought to use the marauder's map before. Then they set off for the dorm.

"Let's get it!" Sirius yelled.

"It's in my trunk!" James told his friends.

"Great. We'll never find it."

"Yes we will, my trunk is organized."

"It's a mess."

"An organized mess."

"Whatever."


	13. The Past

Chapter Thirteen

"Frank?" It's Remus. His voice is raw and hoarse. He speaks in a whisper.

"What?" I ask, and Remus flinches. "You okay?" Stupid question, I know, but I'm asking why he's flinching, and trying not to be too blunt.

"It's loud." He answers, still whispering.

"Sorry." I whisper, wondering if he can still hear me.

He can. "S'Okay." He answers. Then grows quiet.

"So, were you going to ask something?" I ask uncomfortably.

"Yeah. Um, last night, um, did I…?" He stops, unable to finish the question, as if he's afraid of the answer.

"Did you what?"

"Did I, uh, do anything to you?" He tenses, awaiting my answer.

"Nope. Didn't touch me." I answer, trying to be light-hearted and failing.

He sighs in relief. "Good."

His breathing is irregular. Slow and shaky one minute, rapid and shallow the next. Every breath is torture for him. I need to do something.

I get up and walk over to him. He is in awful shape. He has slashes on his arms, back, chest, and legs. He also has bitten his arms in several places. I wonder what to do.

As if he can read my mind, he says, "There's nothing you can do."

"There's got to be something." I answer him.

"Just keep talking to me." I guess so he won't pass out.

I try to think of something to say, but my mind keeps coming up with questions about him. "So when were you bitten?" I ask, then wince. It's none of my business, and something I really shouldn't ask.

But he answers, albeit slowly. "Twelve years ago." If he's fourteen now, and was bitten twelve years ago, then-

"You were only two years old?" I asked incredulously. He nods, and before I can stop myself, out comes an even stupider question. "How did it happen?"

He is silent for a while, and I wonder if he is still awake.

Then he answers me. "It was in Romania, where I was born. My brother and I had a baby-sitter that night. She didn't believe in werewolves, so she let us outside, even though the sun was beginning to set. We were out in the yard when it came out of nowhere."

He pauses for a moment. "Well, not from nowhere, it had come from the forest in our backyard but, at the time, it seemed to come from nowhere."

He stops again to collect his thoughts. "It attacked Romulus, killing him instantly. I was too frightened to run, cry, or do anything other than stand there and watch. Then it turned on me. I remember screaming as it attacked me, and the baby-sitter came running, but stopped when she saw the werewolf. Then I heard a shot, and the werewolf let me go and ran back into the forest. My parents had returned. My mother picked me up, not caring that I was covered in blood. My father found Romulus. I think part of him died with my brother that night."

"They sent for a doctor the next day, and found out that I had been bitten, and was now a werewolf myself. The doctor suggested that they 'put me down' and put me out of my misery. He told them that I would never be normal, and that I would become evil. Mom wouldn't stand for it. She practically threw the doctor out of the house." He falls silent at that.

"So Romulus was your brother. Was he older or younger than you?" I ask, not knowing what else to say.

"He was my twin."

So Remus had a twin too. I can't imagine what it would be like to lose J.J. We've been close for as long as I can remember.

"So how did you come to live here?"

"In England? We moved here when I was seven. My parents decided it wasn't safe for me in Romania, so we moved here to England, where my father had grown up."

"So, your father-"

The door swings open, interrupting me. It is the others from our dorm.

"Hello! Anybody down here!" Sirius yells down the stairs, lighting his wand.

The sudden light blinds me for a minute. "Yeah!" I yell back. "Remus and I are!"

James and Sirius make there way into the room. Seeing Remus, James turns to the door.

"Peter, go get Madame Pomfrey." He yells to Peter, who has already left to do just that.

"Are you okay?" Sirius asks me, and he's worried.

"I'm fine."

"Remus?" James asks, kneeling beside his friend.

"I'm alive, James." Comes the harsh whisper.


	14. The Room

Chapter Fourteen

Madame Pomfrey had come quickly, and moved Remus to the Hospital Wing before asking what had happened.

Frank explained what had happened as James and the others stood by, shocked that even Snape would do such a thing.

Madame Pomfrey promptly insisted on checking to make sure that Frank had not been injured in any way.

He hadn't, and Pomfrey returned to caring for Remus.

"The problem is," she said as she worked, "that Marple doesn't know Remus is a werewolf, or he wouldn't be here. So we can't really do anything that the headmaster would find out about. We could, perhaps have the head of the Slytherin house speak to Snape, but I'm not sure how much good that would do. You boys are going to have to be careful. I will mention this to Windol, though. He'll know what needs done." She straightened up. "Now, you boys are all exhausted, so up to the dorm with you, Remus will be fine."

And with that, she shooed them out of the Hospital Wing.

Back in the dorm, Peter sat down on his bed, then seemed to cheer up. "Oh, hey, I just remembered!"

"What?" Asked Sirius wearily.

"I found this room." Peter announced excitedly.

"Okay." James replied less than enthusiastically.

"In it was all sorts of stuff we could use for causing trouble."

James sat up. "Where?" He asked, his interest aroused.

"Well, I was walking down a hallway, trying to think of something we could do, when I heard Malfoy coming. So I ducked into this door that just seemed to appear, and there it was!"

"There what was?" Asked Sirius impatiently.

"A room full of all sorts of stuff. Things we could use for pranking."

"Can you show it to us?"

"Sure, right this way."

The room _was _full of stuff they could use.

"Sirius, go get the others." James said, thinking they could start planning right away.

"Right away." Sirius set off, leaving the other three to look around.

"Honey, dodo drops, elephant sticks, dehydrated hippo." Peter was reading labels on some of these things.

"Tar-and-feather kit." Read Frank.

"Hair coloring from across a room." James read. "Guys, this is going to be awesome!"

At that time, Sirius returned with the others, and they began planning.

"Of course," Said James, "we should probably wait for Remus to get out."

"Get out?" Asked Lilly.

"He's in the Hospital Wing, but it's nothing serious. He should be out in a few days." Sirius explained.

"Oh."

Moony was out in three days, and while he still looked tired, he was definitely in better shape than he had been.

Things seemed kind of uneasy between Frank and Moony, but the other three marauders really couldn't blame the two for feeling awkward around each other, considering what had happened.

Frank seemed to take the news of Moony's lycanthropy well. He certainly didn't seem prejudiced against Moony.

It was night, and the group of mischief-makers was hard at work. Their mission was to prank the teachers. Their focus was the hall outside of their dorms.

At three in the morning, they were nearly finished.

Then a door began to creak open.

The students fled, but no one noticed that someone had dropped something.


	15. Expulsion

Chapter Fifteen

The prank had actually been successful, thought Peter as he sat at breakfast. In spite of the close call, the teachers had been tarred and feathered, covered in honey, turned into elephants and dodo birds, and much more.

And no one (who would tell) had any idea who was responsible. Even the Slytherins had failed to tell on those responsible. The day couldn't go better, Peter thought.

Until Professor Sears approached the table and told Moony that the headmaster wished to speak with him.

Moony calmly went with the Professor.

"Mr. Lupin, is it?" asked Marple as Remus entered his office.

"Yes sir."

"Have a seat." Remus did so, wondering vaguely if they had found out he was a werewolf. "You have heard, not doubt, of the attack on the teachers?"

Attack? It wasn't an attack. No one had been hurt. "Yes sir."

"We have reason to believe the perpetrators were in Gryffindor."

They were close, but Remus wasn't about to show that he was worried in the slightest. "Gryffindor sir? Who in Gryffindor would do something like that?"

"We also have reason to believe that they were fourth years."

"I don't think it was anyone in my dorm, if that is what you are asking, sir." Remus answered with false calmness.

"You wouldn't happen to know who this belongs to then, would you?" Marple asked, holding out a long, thin, object.

Remus felt for his wand and realized it wasn't there. He reached out to take the wand. Along the handle read,

"Remus Lupin, Gryffindor."

"So it's mine." Remus said flatly. He was in trouble. "Then why are you toying with me? You said I'd be expelled if caught. What do you want?"

"One student could hardly have done this alone." Marple began.

"So you say."

"He would have needed help to pull all this off."

"Maybe."

"Tell me who helped you and I'll let you go free."

"So you're saying that if I rat on my friends, you won't expel me."

"I think we understand one another."

"No. We don't." Remus said, standing. "First of all, I didn't have any help, nor did I need any. Second of all, if I had had help, I wouldn't betray my friends to save my own skin. Finally, you won't be here long. You won't last. People already don't like you, and it isn't going to help any for you to expel a student over something as ridiculous as a little fun. You aren't half the Headmaster Dumbledore was, not by a long shot. He'll be back. And to tell you the truth, I hated being here while an idiot like you who couldn't run a school if he had a Headmaster's Guide for Idiots, so this is a relief."

"Pack your things, Mr. Lupin. You will be leaving tonight."

"Yes _sir._" Remus said, leaving, and the sarcasm in his voice was understood clearly even by the headmaster.

"What do you think the headmaster wanted with Moony?" Asked Sirius.

"Dunno. We'll just have to wait and ask him, I guess." James replied.

WHAM!

A door slammed in the common room, and James and Sirius looked at each other.

"You don't think that's him, do you?" Asked Peter.

"Moony doesn't slam doors." Sirius answered uncertainly.

Then the door in the dorm banged opened. Moony entered, then slammed the door behind him, hard.

He walked over to his trunk and started throwing things inside it.

"Hey, Moony?" Asked James. "What are you doing?"

"Packing." Moony snapped.

"Why?" Asked Sirius.

"I've just been expelled." It came out practically a snarl.

"Why?" Asked Peter,

Moony didn't answer, but continued packing.

"Why?" Peter asked again.

"He found out I was involved in the pranks."

"Oh."

The thought had never entered their mind that one of them might actually get caught, that one of them might actually be expelled. They had just assumed that no one would find out who it was, that somehow it would bring Dumbledore would come back, and that everything would be right again.

But it wasn't. Moony, of all people, was being expelled. And Marple was still here.

Moony was being expelled.

Not knowing what to say, the boys each slowly wandered off, each lost in their own thoughts.

It was Peter who soon returned to the dorm.

"Um, Remus?" He asked nervously.

"What Peter?" He sounded tired.

"We'll miss you." Was all Peter could get out. Why was that all he could say after he had known Remus for nearly four years now? Surely he could do better than that.

"I'll miss you guys too." Remus answered. And Peter realized that what little he had said had been enough. Remus had understood.

"Attention." Marple said loudly, quieting the room. "I have an announcement."

Then he stopped for dramatic effect.

"Ahem. One of those students responsible for the trouble that has been caused all year has been caught and therefore is officially being expelled. He will be returning to his home tonight. Also, his house will be losing five-hundred points for his arrogance and disrespect. He claims that he worked alone, but if there are those of you out there who were also involved, take this as a warning. You will be caught."

He paused again, looking around for the culprit. "Mr. Lupin, would you stand up, please."

Remus stood up, his face emotionless. As he did, Sirius could be heard whispering.

"I'm sorry, man."

Remus nodded to Sirius that it was okay as Marple continued his speech.

"It is with great sorrow that I now expel you from this school, Mr. Lupin. You will take the train home tonight. Your parents have already been informed. Have you anything to say for yourself?"

"Only that I sincerely hope things will soon be put right here, and that I am sorry that my fellow Gryffindors had to be punished for something that they had nothing to do with."

And with that, he left the room.

Marple sat down, and the students began talking softly. The reactions to the event that had just taken place were varied.

Many could not believe that Remus Lupin, of all people was behind the pranks. It was believed among these students that Marple had been too hasty, and had made a mistake.

Among those that did believe Remus Lupin had been involved were two general opinions. The first was that the punishment was in no way fitting the crime, it being too harsh. Those feeling this way would try to make a hero of him. Of this group there were very few, mainly those that knew him rather well.

The second opinion was that Lupin deserved to be thrown out, but this was only felt among Slytherins and that only among Snape, Malfoy, and Malfoy's followers.

Of course, not even the latter group felt that the points should have been deducted, especially not five-hundred.

And so Marple managed to turn even the Slytherin household against him, and Malfoy went to search for Potter.


	16. Truce?

Chapter Sixteen

"Do you need some help?" James asked his friend, although he doubted Moony would accept it.

"Sure." Moony replied.

The two walked in silence through the empty halls of the school.

There was so much James wanted to say. Moony had been such a good friend, always there for James and the other marauders. Even through all James had done. Even after the fight last year, and Sirius telling Snape about- well, anyway, even through everything, they had been friends.

Moony had always been the one who thought things through. Who could see the faults in their plans and find a way to fix them.

And he had been so happy just to have friends who knew about him and still cared. His loyalty to his friends was unmatched. He had refused to tell who else was involved in the pranks.

He meant so much to James and the others, and probably didn't even realize it.

"James." Moony broke into his thoughts.

"Huh?"

"I just wanted to say thank you. You and the others, you've just been so good to me. Meant so much to me. I don't know what I would've done without you guys. But, for all you guys have done, thank you."

Moony was thanking him? For all he and the others had done?

Unbidden, a tear trickled down his face. He looked down, not wanting Moony to see him cry.

He felt an arm on his shoulder, and looked back to his friend.

"You guys take care. And don't give up, All right?"

James nodded.

Moony wrapped his friend in a hug, then was gone.

"Bye, Moony."

He turned to go back to the school and nearly ran in Malfoy.

Before Malfoy could even open his mouth, "Shut up, Malfoy. I amnot in the mood to mess with you." James snapped.

"Cool it, Potter." Malfoy replied. "I want to call a truce."

James couldn't believe his ears. "A truce? Between us?" He asked stupidly.

Malfoy started to say something smart-alek, but changed his mind. "Yes." He said instead. "Look, Potter. We don't like you, and you don't like us. We aren't sad to seeyour friend go, but what Marple did wasn't right. He's an idiot. Wemay not like Dumbledore, but he's better than this jerk. We know your in on theprankin, and we want to help. All right?"

"So we help eachother now, but once Dumbledore's back, we're back to normal?"

"Yes."

"Okay. You're in."

The others would be skeptical, but James knew Malfoy was telling the truth. Besides, they could use the help.

With all the Houses allied against Marple, things quickly got out of hand, at least from Marple's point of view.

James Potter, however, knew exactly what he was doing. He was comandingan army of studentsin a war against the headmaster and newprofessors. And he was winning.

It was obvious thatthe headmaster would not last much longer.


	17. News

Chapter Seventeen

"Hey! Guess What!" James burst into the astronomy tower.

"You're late." Malfoy growled.

"I know. Sorry."

"So, what are we guessing about?" Snape asked.

"I got a letter from my dad!" James replied excitedly.

"And?" Malfoy questioned.

"And he and some others are being sent by the ministry to Hogwarts to inspect the headmaster and staff tomorrow to see if they are acceptable for the job."

"Awesome!" Sirius replied.

"So we need to decide which professors we want to keep and which ones we want to get rid of." Malfoy suggested.

"Well," Said Snape slowly, "we obviously want rid of Marple, Sears, Clark, Addison, and Smith."

"We want to keep Pomfrey." Peter added.

"And Flitwick." Lilly said.

"And Windol." Malfoy said.

"We do?" Asked Sirius.

Malfoy raised an eyebrow.

"For simplicity's sake we want to keep all of the professors who have taught here before this year." Said James, avoiding an arguement.

"Right." Malfoy agreed with him rather quickly.

"Fine." Sirius seemed disappointed not be able to get rid of Windol.

"Then we'll spread the word." James said. "And when tomorrow comes, we'll be ready for them."

But things did not the way planned. James, Luke, J.J., And Snape were caught and expelled.

"What are we going to do?" Worried Kiki.

"Just what James said. We can't give up now." Sirius replied.

"Do you think this will work?" Peter asked Malfoy uneasily.

"It has to. It just has to." Malfoy answered.


	18. Inspection

Chapter Eighteen

"I'm late. I can't believe it." Muttered Audrey with a sigh. "I'm not supposed to be late. I'm supposed to be the responsible one." She pulled her long hair into a ponytail as she walked down the hall, hoping not to run into anyone important. She didn't, and entered the office of her 'boss' to find Milo already there.

"You're l-l-late." He stammered as she entered the room.

"Fashionably late." She replied.

"R-right." He snorted.

Audrey simply scowled at the man who was sitting comfortably behind a desk, absently toying with a strand of his shoulder-length blonde hair. People who didn't know Milo very well often thought he was timid and nervous and not at all suited for the stressful job of an Auror. He was often shunned by the others in the department.

Audrey knew better. Milo was excellent at his job. Death and pain held no terror for him. He could be as cold and emotionless as he needed to be on the job, and still be friendly the rest of the time and comforting if you were worried. He was also someone you did not want to get angry with you. Audrey had seen him angry once, and it had terrified her.

But very few people knew this. Milo had been assigned to the team a year and a half ago because nobody else wanted him on their's. He had had no field experience, because no one had wanted to get him killed. It had been recommended that he be assigned any deskwork for his own safety.

And of course, her boss had refused to take advice. He had brought Milo with them on an assignment the same day he joined them. And because of that, they had survived, albeit narrowly. He had become a valuable member of the team.

Audrey was brought back to the present by the arrival of the third member of their team.

"Hello, fellow misfits!" Jonathan said cheerfully. "So our temper finally arrived!"

"Temper? Me?" Asked Audrey innocently. "I don't have a temper. At least not a bad one."

"And I'm the Minister of Magic." Was the reply.

Jonathan was the 'leader' of the team, so to speak, mainly because he knew when to say something, and when to keep his mouth shut around authority (unlike Milo, who usually just nodded, and Audrey, who usually ended up saying EXACTLY what she thought of something or someone).

He was mischievous, fun-loving, and always joking around, so it was hard to tell when he was serious. Of course, he was also considered a goof-up. He had a family, and his wife always knew what he was doing, both of which were discouraged among Aurors.

The three made up the strangest team of Aurors in the Ministry. They had been thrown together because no-one else wanted them, and had surprisingly managed to work together and actually become friends, a rarity in a job where people were often killed. And somehow, they had managed to get a reputation for doing a good job of things, and were often called on in important situations.

"Any-Anyway, we had b-best get going." Suggested Milo. "We are al-already running l-late."

"Right." Agreed Jonathan. "Our first stop is Hogwarts to get a grip on the situation there."

"Oh boy." Said Audrey sarcastically.

The three soon arrived at Hogwarts. They entered the school to immediately discover two boys fighting. Their wands forgotten, they were rolling on the floor pummeling each other.

"Mudblood!" One boy snarled.

"Slytherin!" The other hissed.

Audrey rolled her eyes. "Enough!" She bellowed, advancing on the boys.

The two stopped immediately and stared up at her, obviously terrified. Both bore evidence of their fight. One had a black eye, and the other a bloody nose.

"What is the meaning of this?" Audrey asked angrily.

The boys just stared at her, seemingly at a loss for words. Then Jonathan spoke.

"Peter?" He asked, and the boy with the bloody nose nodded.

"Yes, sir, Mr. Potter?" He squeaked.

"What is going on?" Asked Jonathan.

"Well, sir," Peter explained slowly, "I was headed to class and I accidentally bumped into this git here and tried to tell him I was sorry but he pulled out his wand so I punched him in the eye and he punched me in the nose and then was all over me and then she showed up and yelled and then asked what the meaning of this was and the you said Peter and I said yes and you said what's going on and now I'm telling you." He finished, then took a deep breath.

"Oh." Said Jonathan.

"You aren't going to tell Marple are you?" Peter asked nervously. "Or any of the teachers?"

"Why?"

"I really don't want to get expelled." Peter explained.

"For fighting?"

"Well, _James_ was expelled for being in the hall during class after all." Peter pointed out.

"True." Jonathan agreed thoughtfully. "Well, we'll overlook it this time, I guess. But no more fighting, all right?" He told the boys sternly.

"Yes sir." Peter agreed, and the other boy nodded quickly and left. Peter, however stayed. "Why are you here, sir?" He asked, confused.

"Well," He began. "It seems that there are rumours that Marple and some of the staff may be having some problems."

"Oh." Peter nodded as if he understood. "So, how's James doing?"

"He's fine. He said to tell you guys 'hi'."

"Okay." Peter said cheerfully. "Well, see ya around." With that, he took off.

"D-did that s-seem odd to you?" Milo asked after the boy had left, turning to Audrey.

"What do you mean?"

"I-I don't know."

The three Aurors decided to visit one of the classrooms, Professor Sears' classroom, to be exact. The scene that met them was utter chaos. There were only about ten students there, but all them were doing their best to not listen to the Professor. None of them were in their seats, with the exception of a red-headed girl who was blowing humongous bubbles with her gum and apparently painting a picture of a boy with long black hair who was posing on the Professor's desk.

Those who were not seated were running around, talking, playing, or sleeping. The Professor was in no way able to impose order upon his class. This continued until the bell rang for dismissal.

The long haired boy jumped up as the bell rang.

"Sit back down Sirius." Ordered the girl. "I'm not finished."

"Awe, come on, Lilly." He protested. "We have Potions next. We do not want to be late."

The girl sighed. "Fine." She gathered her stuff and spit her gum out in the trash, and the two left the room.

"Well," Jonathan said. "I think we should move on. Perhaps to the Potions classroom?"

The three quickly discovered not only that nobody would listen to the four 'new' Professors, but that the other Professors had not the slightest difficulty in having class. Audrey soon found herself growing suspicious.

"It's like they have it planned who they want to look bad, and who they want to make look good." She said to Jonathan.

"Like they knew we were coming?" He suggested in return.

"Yeah, but how?"

"I sent a letter to my son saying I would be coming and why." Jonathan said thoughtfully.

"Maybe we should go talk to him." Audrey suggested.

"Sounds like a plan to me." Jonathan agreed.


	19. Dinner

When the three Aurors arrived at the Potter household, James was nowhere to be seen. Jonathan looked around downstairs for his son, and was just about to yell for James when he heard a loud THUMP, followed by a shout and the sound of laughter.

"James!" Jonathan yelled for his son. "Come down here!"

"Just a minute!" Came the reply. Then came the sound of muffled voices and after a few seconds, the sound of James thundering down the stairs. "Yeah, dad?" He asked, coming into the living room.

"As you know, we were inspecting the school today." Jonathan said, then paused to see how his son would react.

"And how did it go?" James asked innocently.

"Very suspiciously."

"In what way?" James looked a little too innocent.

"It seemed as if certain professors were being set up to look bad by the students."

"Really?" Asked James. "How terrible." He furrowed his eyes as if he were trying to think of why someone would possibly do something like that.

"Yes, well, we were wondering how the students would know that someone was coming to inspect the professors." James' face was too blank, but there was a tell-tale twinkle in his eyes that indicated he was up to something. "You wouldn't have had anything to do with that, would do?" Jonathan asked his son sternly.

James sighed. He knew he was caught. "Fine. I told them! We wanted to make them look bad so we could Dumbledore back. We've been trying to get rid of them all year."

Jonathan was stunned. Who's we?" He asked a little dizzily.

"Sirius, Peter, Remus, Frank, Lilly, Luke, J.J., Malfoy, Snape, Crabbe, Goyle, Jonah, Micah..." James gradually trailed off.

"But why?" Asked Jonathan, recovering from his shock at the list of students who were against the new Headmaster.

"Why?" James was upset now. "Because they're all incompetent idiots! Because they can't handle a little fun! Because Marple humiliated Remus in front of the school for doing something that he wouldn't possibly have done alone! Because Dumbledore's the best professor we've ever had!"

"Well, there are some doubts about that." Audrey muttered.

"You don't know!" James snapped. "He means a lot to some people!"

"Like who?" Audrey retorted.

"Well, me for one." James was quiet a moment thinking, then, "Remus. He never could've come to Hogwarts if it hadn't been for Dum-" James cut himself off, horrified at what he had almost said. He stared wide-eyed at his father, then at the other two Aurors in turn.

"Remus who?" Audrey asked James' father.

"Lupin, I believe." Jonathan replied, staring curiously at James.

"Lupin? As in Raiden Lupin?" Audrey wanted to know. "His son?"

"The same." Audrey just stared at Jonathan.

"Why wouldn't he have been there without Dumbledore?" Audrey wanted to know.

Jonathan didn't answer, but turned once again to look at his son.

James looked down at the floor and shrugged.

At that moment, Mrs. Potter came home. She had gone over to check on her sister, who had been ill this past week, and was just returning. She looked at the three Aurors, then at James. "Is everything all right?" She asked her son, who nodded and assured her that no one had been blown up while she was gone. "And where is your friend?" She asked. "Has he gone home already? I thought he was going to stay for dinner."

James looked around the room uneasily. "No, he's, um, upstairs, mum." He said at last.

"All by himself?"

"Yes, mum. Dad wanted to know something so I told him it'd only be a minute and I'd be right back."

"Well, did he find out what he wanted to know?"

"Yes, mum."

"Then you run along upstairs and play until dinner." James obeyed his mum and literally ran up the stairs. Then Mrs. Potter turned to her husband. "Will your associates be joining us for dinner?"

Jonathan looked at the other two, who quickly nodded. "W-We would be d-delighted, ma'am." Milo said politely.

"All right then, it shouldn't bee too long." Said Mrs. Potter.

And it wasn't long at all before the table had been set, a delicious meal was spread out, and the adults were gathered at the table. "Boys!" Called Mrs. Potter. "Dinner's ready!"

There was the rapid thumping of James coming down the stairs and a softer, slower step of the boy that had come over. James burst in and plopped down at the table, followed by a smaller boy.

Audrey looked him over as he sat down. He was small, far too thin, had a slight grey tint to his hair, and looked exhausted. Once he caught sight of the adults, though, the slightest trace of fear seemed to show in his eyes. It was there for a brief second, then was gone so suddenly that Audrey wasn't entirely certain she had seen it at all.

Jonathan started, recognizing the boy, who seemed to flinch, but Mrs. Potter shushed him. "Finish eating, dear." She told him.

There were a few minutes of uncomfortable silence, then Jonathan stood up. "May I speak with you, dear?" He asked, leading her out of the room.

Those still at the table were silent, listening to the conversation in the next room.

"That was the Lupin boy." Jonathan was saying.

"Yes, dear."

"Raiden's son?"

"Yes dear."

"Why?"

"James wanted to have a friend over."

"But him?"

James cleared his throat noisily. "What about feathers?" He asked. Audrey shot a questioning glance at Milo, who shrugged.

The Lupin boy (as Audrey had heard Jonathan refer to him) seemed to know what James was talking about, though. "Maybe, but I was thinking something more along the lines of straw or something."

He replied thoughtfully.

"So," Audrey said conversationally, "I take it you are Remus Lupin."

"Yes ma'am." He replied softly. His eyes didn't quite meet hers.

"And you were expelled from Hogwarts as well?"

"Yes ma'am." He answered again, uncomfortably.

"And if Dumbledore had not been headmaster, you would not have been accepted into Hogwarts?"

James slumped down into his seat. Remus didn't seem to notice his friend's action but had suddenly gone pale (paler than he had been, he had already been pale to begin with) at Audrey's statement.

He eventually nodded, looking down at the table.

"Why?" She asked.

Remus was silent for a moment. Then he looked up. "It doesn't matter." He said steadily.

"What do you mean, it doesn't matter?" Audrey demanded.

"I was expelled. It doesn't matter any more." Remus answered, and there was a hint of stubborness in his manner now.

"It does if we decide that a new Headmaster is needed and need to decide on a new one." Audrey retorted.

"It really doesn't." Remus argued. "That aside, it isn't really any of your business anyway, ma'am." He said it matter-of-factly, and for a moment Audrey almost believed him and dropped the whole matter.

Then Mr. and Mrs. Potter reentered the room, Mrs. Potter angry and Mr. Potter aggravated. "What isn't any of who's business?" He demanded.

"I'm sure you're just hearing things, dear." Mrs. Potter said sharply.

Remus turned to James. "I should be going." He said. James nodded.

"See you."

"Thanks for having me over, Mrs. Potter. Dinner was delicious." He said politely.

"You're quite welcome, dear." She smiled at the small boy.

Remus quickly left, and Mrs. Potter scowled at Jonathan. "It really wasn't necessary for you three to be like that." She said, clearing the table.

Milo and Audrey left quickly, Audrey adding that she had some work to do.

"James." Jonathansaid to his son. "We need to talk."


	20. Chapter 20

James sighed. He had been arguing with his dad for the last half hour. Dad had been questioning James about Remus and why he wouldn't have been allowed to go to Hogwarts. James had tried to change the subject, had tried to make up some ridiculous story about Remus being raised by penguins (yes it was ridiculous, but James hadn't been able to come up with anything better), and had even announced that he wasn't going to tell his father anything.

But he was still sitting on the couch, trying to stare down his father (like that was going to work). He was tired, and wondered Dad would believe him if he said Moony _was _a werewolf. Maybe his dad would laugh it off as ridiculous...No, he always knew when his son was telling the truth. Maybe he should just tell his dad the truth. But what about Moony?

_"I understand."_ He could imagine Moony saying. _"You have to obey your dad. Don't worry about it." _But James knew he would worry about it. It would betrayal to tell Moony's secret. But still, he was disobeying his father. Was his loyalty to his friend more important than his loyalty to his father?

James sighed again. "He's scitzophranic." He lied. "Slightly. Talks to himself, has mood swings, sometimes isn't himself at all." That part was somewhat true. "He sometimes gets in arguements with himself. And um, last Christmas he couldn't remember who he was."

His dad wasn't buying it. This time he was the one sighing. "James." He said wearily. "Just tell me the truth. No more lies."

He hated lying to his dad anyway. "He's a werewolf." He finally mumbled.

"A what?" His dad looked worried.

"A werewolf. We found in our first year, me and Sirius and Peter, and Remus thought we would hate him because of it but we said we didn't and he almost couldn't believe it and Dad he isn't a bad guy or a moster or anything he's just a kid and he's my friend and he's never hurt us even though we share a dorm with him and it isn't fair that people think he's bad when he isn't and-" James stopped for breath, nearly hysterical. He didn't want to lose his friend. Dad probably would never let James see Moony again.

"Really?" Was all his dad said.

James looked at his dad. "Um, yeah."

"Well, there are worse things, I suppose. All right, well, run along."

Confused, James went to his room. Did it not bother his dad that James was friends with a werewolf? Maybe he wasn't prejudiced against werewolves. Maybe, like James, he realized that werewolves were just like normal people, only not.

Maybe everything would be all right.


	21. Chapter 21

Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic, stood and adressed the school. "Students and Staff, it is my job to inform you that there has been a mistake made in the changing of Headmasters and of certain professors. It has been found, through much study, that the current Headmaster is not the proper man for the job and that several professors are also in need of replacements. Therefore, I present your new Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore!"

There was a thunderous round of applause as Dumbledore stood at his old place in the Great Hall. After a moment, he waved his hand for silence. "Thank you for your kind welcome. I have truly missed being here. I hope that during my absence you have all been dilligent in your studies." He paused, and there was laughter among the students. "I see that we are missing a few students today." He noticed, and Peter looked around, noticing the empty places where James and Remus had sat. "Hopefully, they will not be missing for too much longer." Peter wondered if Dumbledore realized that the 'missing' students had actually been expelled. "Now, if you will welcome back your Professors," Here McGonagal and the others who had been replaced entered the Great Hall, "We shall begin breakfast."

Peter munched on his food, and Sirius didn't try to eat at all. They were too busy contemplating the loss off their other friends. They had been expelled, but surely Dumbledore would let them come back! But expulsions were permanent...

"Mind if I sit here?" Sirius looked up. It was James! He and Peter jumped shouting, and Sirius was slapping James on the shoulder when Moony arrived.

"I think they missed you." Moony said to James. "How sweet."

"Yeah, well, I'm glad to be back." James replied.

"Me too."

Soon everything was back the way it should be, just in time for exams, which most people failed miserably (except for our Maruaders) due to lack of teaching and studying and learning in general during Dumbledore's absence. Dumbledore announced that evening that due to certain...complications, exams would not be counted this year, which meant that everybody passed, whether they should have or not.

Our marauders caused trouble, and three of them worked on their special project (which, as you will remember, was becoming animagi), and soon it was time to go home for Summer Break.

Since it turned out that Mr. Potter wasn't bothered by the fact the Remus was a werewolf (and had given up disliking him because of his father), the four marauders spent most of the summer playing at James', but occasionaly went to Peter's or Moony's, but never to Sirius' due to the fact that they wouldn't be welcome (they didn't really want to go there anyway, so that didn't bother them anyway).

Summer slipped quickly by, and soon the Marauders would find themselves back for another year at Hogwarts.

The End.


End file.
